I haven't seen mentioned or on your list Glacier NP or the Icefields Pkwy (may be the start to Alaska). Also, hwy 20 in Washinton is georgeous and the Cascades National forest has great camping. Also I would include in the Yellowstone area, Cody, WY and the museum there. Riding the Chief Joseph and Beartooth would also have to be included in any trip near the area. I think, I would give serious consideration to doing your planned trip clock-wise because of "likely" weather patterns. Good luck, wish I could do it too.

This is true. Sure, have a list of places you want to go/things you want to see, but don't get into the state of mind where you MUST see this and/or that. Hit as many of the things on your list as you can, you'll always find other places you hadn't anticipated that you'll want to spend time at too, and the ones you don't get to see....well, what better excuse for a second trip?!

Have fun. With the right attitude, you will. And remember lots of us will be living vicariously through you, so an RR would be much appreciated!

Thanks for all the suggestions and tips everyone, I've added all of them to my list...

I'm leaving in early May, as early as possible, hopefully the 1st. Classes end April 28, and between finals, term papers, trip planning and gear procurement, I'm going to be pretty busy this next month, so I might need another week or so after classes end to tie up various loose ends. I don't have to be back until classes begin again on August 15, and I plan on staying gone as long as possible, so I should have a full three months on the road. I'm heading in a generally counterclockwise direction, probably heading up the east coast to Maine, then going to explore the Upper Michigan Peninsula a bit before heading out west, seeing all the national parks along the way. Depending on how much time I have left, I might ride up to Anchorage and back. I just watched Into the Wild, and I'd really like to see the Magic Bus, not to mention it'd just be awesome to ride to Alaska - but that's another 2300 miles one way, and at 300 miles a day, that's two weeks there and back, so it's doubtful that I'll actually go that far north. That said, I probably will head up the western coast into Canada a bit, depending on what people tell me in Washington. After I'm finished with the northwest, I'll ride down through California to Baja, then over into Nevada, and the Four Squares. If I have time, I might go down into Mexico a bit, and then, of course, it's back home, back to mundane life again.

What about you? What's your timeframe and general direction of travel?

I have almost the same plan, but lately Ive been thinking about heading West first. Like Uglyprimate said,it might be a little painful to be in the desert areas during August, but Im not opposed to it. I also dont have to be back in Atlanta until december, but will more than likely return well before that since I will not be taking much cold weather gear with me.
I also have a good friend going to Alaska in July, so I wanted to try and hookup with him for a portion if possible.

Do yourself a favor and get Streets and Trips to plan your route. You can "pinpoint" each National Park, city, etc you plan on visiting and let the program calculate the route for you, how many days it will take, etc. All the things listed may take several months.

Then back track and dodge the western state heat. Places like Yellowstone are the worst place to be during heavy tourist traffic.

I've done similar trips 7 or 8 times...and Texas and Oklahoma can be almost impassable on a small bike due to unbelievable crosswinds. One of the best investments I've made for long trips is an "Airhawk" seat.

Hey dude;
I'd definitely put Arches, Canyonlands, Moab, San Rafael Swell, and Lake Powell on your must see list. These are all in Utah and are all extremely bad ass. Additionally, I would see Jackson Hole and Redwood trees around santa cruz...Pretty bad ass highway that follows the US/Mexico border down by san diego as well that is well worth the ride. HAve a good one!

Last year I backpacked SE Asia for 7 months, so I'm pretty well versed on the art of traveling. I don't expect to see everything and I certainly won't kill myself trying to, but I'll pick and choose what's worth seeing depending on the variables at the time. Buzzard, you're absolutely right about going with the flow - if there's one thing I learned while backpacking, it's that sticking with a hard itinerary is self-defeating on a number of levels. It can be tricky to balance flexibility with trying to see as much as possible at first, but you eventually find your groove and it becomes much easier. I expect this trip to be no different.... but wow! There are a TON of beautiful things to see in the US! I've been around the US once before as a kid, but other than that two week trip (which I barely remember), I haven't seen anything of the US outside of the southeast. I'm really looking forward to this trip now...

As for the suggestion to go clockwise - that's definitely the better way to go. I lived in Kuwait and Iraq for a year each, and if I can help it, I never want to experience that kind of heat (especially without air conditioning) again...

Last year I backpacked SE Asia for 7 months, so I'm pretty well versed on the art of traveling. I don't expect to see everything and I certainly won't kill myself trying to, but I'll pick and choose what's worth seeing depending on the variables at the time. Buzzard, you're absolutely right about going with the flow - if there's one thing I learned while backpacking, it's that sticking with a hard itinerary is self-defeating on a number of levels. It can be tricky to balance flexibility with trying to see as much as possible at first, but you eventually find your groove and it becomes much easier. I expect this trip to be no different.... but wow! There are a TON of beautiful things to see in the US! I've been around the US once before as a kid, but other than that two week trip (which I barely remember), I haven't seen anything of the US outside of the southeast. I'm really looking forward to this trip now...

As for the suggestion to go clockwise - that's definitely the better way to go. I lived in Kuwait and Iraq for a year each, and if I can help it, I never want to experience that kind of heat (especially without air conditioning) again...

Hey, Blah Monster, I would add my vote for doing this clockwise, going west across the south before it gets too hot, and east through the north after it has had a chance to warm up and dry out.

I'm not going to add anything to your list, because your plate already looks too full to finish at a single sit. My advice? Keep it loose enough to improvise comfortably, and bear in mind you can always fit another trip or two into your life for all the things you miss on this one.

This is true. Sure, have a list of places you want to go/things you want to see, but don't get into the state of mind where you MUST see this and/or that. Hit as many of the things on your list as you can, you'll always find other places you hadn't anticipated that you'll want to spend time at too, and the ones you don't get to see....well, what better excuse for a second trip?!

Have fun. With the right attitude, you will. And remember lots of us will be living vicariously through you, so an RR would be much appreciated!

Good luck!

I have to agree... Plan a route and the things you must see... if you have time then you can explore a little more. I would try to make a base camp for two or three days in a geographical area and then do day trips to sightsee.

When you check out carhendge give me a shout... I live in Western Nebraska.

Thanks for throwing up the lists!! I plan on a slower trip but this helps organize the must see's. If you see a sticker on the back of a trailer, wave, (if my bikes not back there its not my trailer! ) I plan on using trailer as base camp and then riding KLR Everywhere!! Your posts are appreciated!